Thomas Samuels Scholarship
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10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Room: E-Building, E-517
PDA@lagcc.cuny.edu
The LaGuardia Community College Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. To learn how charitable gifts can help students change their lives,
go to laguardia.edu/donors.
Thomas Samuels Scholarship
The Thomas Samuels Scholarship is open to matriculated deaf students enrolled in the academic program. While a student’s GPA is a major factor in determining the recipient, students who wish to be considered for scholarships will also be asked to submit a short essay and two letters of recommendation from an academic or community reference.
Scholarship Application
Scholarship applications are distributed annually in March. Students are required to submit the application with a recent transcript and completed essay. In addition, students are responsible for requesting their two letters of recommendation be sent to the scholarship committee. All material is due to the committee by May 31st. The recipient is notified by the end of June. For an application or more information on the scholarship, please contact us at PDA@lagcc.cuny.edu.
In order to continue this annual award, we have established an endowment to fund the scholarship.
However, additional contributions will also allow us to expand this program. If you would like to join us in acknowledging the accomplishments of Deaf and hard-of-hearing LaGuardia students for years to come, please click here for the secure online giving form.
The 2024 Winners of the Thomas Samuels Scholarship
May Tun
After living in Myanmar and then moving to Singapore in pursuit of better educational opportunities, May found her home at the Lexington School for the Deaf and then LaGuardia. She is headed to Baruch College in pursuit of a degree in accounting.
Najay Haughton
Najay arrived in the Bronx from Jamaica at the age of ten to live with his grandmother from whom he learned an enduring sense of responsibility enabling him to take the reins of household expenses to ensure that monthly bills were paid and food was on the table. Najay is headed to either Hunter or Queens College to major in Film.
The 2023 Winners of the Thomas Samuels Scholarship
Gabriela David
Recognizing the need for deaf Hispanic mental health workers, Gabriela is applying to the psychology program at Gallaudet University for her bachelor’s degree to potentially offer services for an underserved population of deaf people.
Orissa Davila
Orissa is attending the California State University at Northridge (CSUN) where she will major in audiology so that she can be one of the first professionals to meet hearing parents of recently diagnosed deaf infants to inform them of the importance of early exposure to American Sign Language.The 2022 Winner of the Thomas Samuels Scholarship
Yusley Ramirez
Yusley is exploring moving on to Gallaudet University or Hunter College and thinking about a career in Human Resources. She is a survivor in every sense of the word spending the earliest part of her life in Venezuela and then moving to the Bronx after losing both parents. Earning a second degree from LaGuardia in June, she attended graduation as her 9-year-old daughter looked on.
The 2021 Winners of the Thomas Samuels Scholarship
Eivind Cuate
New Media Technology
As a New Media Technology major, Eivind participated in the Thomson Avenue Film Festival, showcasing his own work. For one animation class, Eivind constructed an entire city with moving cars and pedestrians and then had the city invaded by UFOs and alien creatures, not easy to do in 3D animation, according to his professor. Eivind plans to continue his studies at Hunter College.
Glendy Scaletta-Rocco
Psychology
Glendy speaks of the dearth of mental health therapists for deaf people and as a Psychology major, hopes to fill this gap. She is already a member of the American Psychological Association and an active member in several clubs at the College where she most likely brings her lively vibe, noted by one of her professors, to her extracurricular work. Glendy is considering attending either Queens or Hunter College next year. 
Justin Muschette
Communications
Possessing a near perfect GPA, Justin is bound to succeed in his chosen field of Communications. As one of his teachers wrote in his letter of support, “Justin is not just a great student but an exceptional person who is self-motivated, driven and inquisitive with much more growth still to tap into.” Justin is undecided as to which college he will attend post-graduation but is considering either Gallaudet, RIT or Lehman. All would be lucky to have him. The 2020 Winners of the Thomas Samuels Scholarship
Aniqa Hague
Childhood Education
Remembering a special bond with a teacher who used American Sign Language expertly motivated Aniqa to become a teacher of deaf children herself. She will be majoring in Childhood Education. 
Ilda Koljenovic
Accounting
Ilda struggled communicating with her teachers and classmates at her school in Montenegro, but at LaGuardia, she now feels like a contributing class member due to access to captioning. She is pursuing a degree in accounting. 